PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — A well-known Cambodian opposition figure stepped out of his Supreme Court hearing Monday to a roaring crowd of supporters, expressing his hope that judges would throw out his incitement conviction and allow him to return to political life.
Rong Chhun, who serves as a top adviser to the Nation Power Party, was convicted last year of stirring up social unrest after he met with villagers who had been displaced by government construction projects. Many observers viewed the conviction as part of a broader pattern of legal actions taken by Prime Minister Hun Manet’s government to suppress dissent.
The 56-year-old received a four-year prison sentence and was prohibited from participating in elections — both as a candidate and as a voter. During his original trial, he maintained his innocence, arguing that he had done nothing more than post photographs of himself with the villagers along with written comments on Facebook.
As he exited the morning hearing, approximately 300 supporters greeted him with chants of “Drop the charges, release Rong Chhun!” and held signs calling for his release.
He addressed the crowd, saying that given the tensions between Cambodia and neighboring Thailand, a difficult economy, and other national challenges, his goal is to foster “national reconciliation and national unity” among Cambodia’s 17 million citizens.
“I hope the court will grant me freedom and justice so that I can continue to practice politics in the future,” he told supporters.
Police officers numbering in the dozens were stationed behind barricades on roads leading to the courthouse. Rong Chhun made his way to the hearing on foot, accompanied by supporters that included both local and international human rights advocates.
“We are not worried about going to prison,” he said. “We are willing to sacrifice everything and we are determined to use the resources our parents gave us to invest so that Cambodia can achieve true freedom and democracy.”
Incitement charges are a tool that Cambodian authorities have repeatedly used to target political opponents.
This is not Rong Chhun’s first brush with such accusations. In 2021, he was sentenced to two years on incitement charges after being accused of spreading false information about Cambodia’s border with Vietnam following meetings with farmers in that region. An appeals court later released him that same year.
Cambodia’s government maintains that it upholds the rule of law within an electoral democracy. However, political parties that have posed serious challenges to the ruling Cambodian People’s Party have repeatedly been dissolved by courts, while their leaders have faced imprisonment or harassment.
For nearly four decades, former Prime Minister Hun Sen led Cambodia under what critics described as autocratic rule, drawing widespread condemnation for human rights abuses including the suppression of free speech and freedom of association. His son, Hun Manet, who was educated in the United States, took over in August 2023, but signs of political reform have been scarce.
On Monday, Tim Ratha made a journey of several hours from Siem Reap province in the north to the capital to show her support for Rong Chhun.
“He has devoted everything to us, he had no wife, no children,” the 55-year-old vegetable vendor told The Associated Press.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to deliver its verdict on June 19.
